Unimaginable
by DragonairsNCookies
Summary: "When you're too happy, something always goes wrong." Dawn thought of it as nothing more than empty words. She never imagined that this simple sentence would affect her life so much. Paul's life on the line? Unimaginable. Ikarishipping.


"_When you're too happy, something always goes wrong."_

* * *

Paul was running around the athletics track at Hearthome High with one of his closest friends, Drew. Usually, he would be ahead of Drew. But today, Drew was quite far ahead. Noticing that Paul was behind, he stopped.

"Paul, man, you okay?" he asked with slight concern. "You've been looking paler than usual today, and now you're falling back in training, dude. What's up?"

Paul grimaced, clutching his stomach. "I'm fine," he grumbled. "Just dehydrated." Drew raised an eyebrow, but didn't question him further. With that, Paul walked back into the school. He inhaled sharply when he reached the door, trying not to show any weaknesses. Taking a drink from the water fountain, his brain started feeling fuzzy.

He headed to the nurse's office, feeling weak in his knees. As he entered the room, the nurse looked at him and took off her glasses. "What's happened to you, dear?"

Paul plopped himself onto a chair. "I don't know."

Nurse Joy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, you don't know? Are you dehydrated?"

He shook his head slightly. "No, I've been drinking plenty of water," he replied quietly.

The nurse frowned, placed a hand over his forehead. "It's not a fever. It's possible you could -"

Someone opened the door, entering with a crash. It was Dawn Berlitz, Paul's childhood friend. "Sorry, Nurse Joy!" she said, walking over to the sighing nurse. "Here's May's ice pack," she said, returning the now not-so-icey ice pack. She blinked, noticing Paul. "Paul? What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

All she got in response was a grunt. Dawn placed her hands on her hips. "Don't you ignore me, Sir Rudeness!" Once again, she received no reply. Her left eye twitched. "Paul! What is wrong with you, you've been ignoring -"

"Excuse me, Dawn. Please leave, you're causing a disturbance," Nurse Joy said sternly. Dawn gave her a reluctant look. "Go on, off to class!"

With one last look, Dawn left the room with a huff and somewhat slammed the door on her way out. "_Unfair! So unfair!" _they heard someone whine loudly outside. Slowly, the rants got quieter and quieter until it was silent again.

Paul let out a sigh once more, before glancing at Nurse Joy. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you, dear. She just made a big deal out of nothing."

Paul glared. "I meant my illness. What's wrong with me?"

Nurse Joy was slightly taken back. "I can't seem to find any physical illnesses. Perhaps you should rest for the day, and if you still feel sick, call a doctor."

* * *

Dawn stared at her work, lightly scribbling over it with a pen.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" May asked, looking up from her essay. "You know, you should really get a move on," she commented, looking at Dawn's page that barely had a paragraph.

The bluenette sighed, dropping her pen in frustration. She let herself collapse onto the desk. "I can't concentrate," she said, her voice muffled.

May gave her a sympathetic look. She reached out to place a hand on her friend's shoulder to comfort her, but she got the hint she wanted to be left alone. After several minutes of silence between them, May decided to speak up, "Are you -" However, the bell cut off May's speech.

Dawn almost immediately stood up, gathering her stuff in an instant. "See you later, May!" she called out, almost running out of the room, leaving a confused May behind. She knew exactly where she was going; the athletics track.

* * *

Drew panted, finishing his final lap. He rested on the ground, taking a long drink from his bottle.

"Hey, Drew!"

The sudden yell made him choke while he was drinking. After regaining himself, he turned around and narrowed his eyes. "Dawn?"

Dawn stopped in front of him, taking a few moments to catch her breath. "Hey, Drew," she said, glancing around. "Have you seen Paul?"

Drew shook his head. "Haven't seen him in a while. He just left in the middle of training, he looked a bit pale when he left."

"I saw him in the nurse's office last period," Dawn said, looking to the ground. "He's probably still there, I'll go check on him!"

Drew sighed as the enthusiastic teenager bopped away before he could reply.

Soon, she arrived at Nurse Joy's office, eagerly opening the door. Her face fell as she looked around, not spotting her childhood friend. "Excuse me, Nurse Joy. Where's Paul? Did he leave?"

"He's gone to…" She hesitated, deciding to lie and let someone else handle it. "...He's gone home early, sweetie."

A worried look crossed Dawn's face. "Is he okay? What happened?" she asked with concern.

The nurse bit her lip. "I'm sure he'll be fine, sweetie. Don't worry about it too much."

After giving a reluctant look, Dawn nodded. "I understand, I'll just go see him now at his home, then," she replied, leaving the room.

A sharp pang of guilt crossed Nurse Joy's face as the blue-haired teenager left the room. She never liked to lie and all she could think about was how confused Dawn would be, later that day.

* * *

It had been two days since Dawn arrived at Paul's home and found out that he wasn't home But for some reason, Reggie, Paul's older brother, refused to let her know where Paul was.

He hadn't been at school which left Dawn confused, worried and frustrated. She wasn't able to concentrate on any of her school work for those two days.

"Dawn, dear!" her mother, Johanna, called from downstairs. "Reggie is here to see you!"

Dawn froze, before immediately running down the stairs to see her visitor. "Reggie? What's up?"

Reggie smiled slightly. "It's about Paul."

"Is he okay? What's going on?" Dawn asked desperately.

His head lowered slightly. "Well, you see…" He looked back up at Dawn's face, it was full of concern. "You know what? I think it would be better if he just told you himself."

Dawn cocked her head slightly, confused. Reggie quickly scribbled a few words on a note. "Here," he said, handing her the note. "Go to here and speak to Paul -"

"Jubilife Hospital?!" Dawn cried out. "I gotta go, mum!" Dawn called out, grabbing her bag on the way out the door of her large house.

"Dawn, be careful!" Johanna called out, but she was too late anyway. She looked at Reggie in alarm. "What was written on the note?"

* * *

"Address - Room 354, Jubilife Hospital," Dawn muttered, trying to find the right room. "348, 350, 352 - aha!" she cried out in triumph, opening the door.

Inside, she spotted Paul on a hospital bed. He was fully conscious and turned to look at her, a frown upon his face. "Dawn?"

"Paul!" she squealed, running up to the bed. She started to talk extremely fast, "What happened? Are you okay? I was so worried about you, you weren't at school and Reggie wasn't telling me anything and I couldn't concentrate on my work and -"

She was cut off by Paul, who signalled for her to stop by holding up his palm. "Troublesome, shut up." Immediately, Dawn hushed.

The two stayed in silence until Dawn opened her mouth to speak once more. "Why -"

"What are you doing here?" Paul asked, glaring.

"What do you mean what am _I _doing?!" Dawn replied, angry. "The question is, what are _you _doing here?" Paul raised an eyebrow at her sudden outburst. Then, her voice calmed as she gave a small smile. "Also, am I not allowed to see my friend in hospital?"

Paul's glare softened slightly. "Whatever," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'll repeat. What are you doing here?"

Dawn furrowed her eyebrows, once again. "What do you think I'm doing here?! You're obviously unwell. Do you have any idea how worried I was when Reggie came to -"

She was rudely cut off. "Reggie?" he asked, with a raised eyebrow.

She nodded. "He came to my house -"

"Why?"

Dawn twitched. "Would you let me finish? I was just about to tell you until you -" She stopped mid-sentence, realising Paul was no longer listening. Glaring at him for a few moments, she started pestering him with questions again.

"Why are you even here? What happened at school? Nurse Joy said you went home sick?" Dawn questioned in confusion. She sighed, receiving no response. "Why… why are you here in the hospital?" she asked quietly.

Paul looked at her for a few moments, making her feel awkward. He sighed, not knowing where to begin. "I'm sick."

"No really now," Dawn replied sarcastically. She took a seat on a small chair by his bed. "What do you mean by sick? It can't be that bad," she said, and laughed.

A grim look replaced Paul's monotone expression. Dawn's smile fell, and she stopped laughing. "Right?" she asked, a hint of wistfulness in her voice.

Paul paused before speaking. "Rheumatic heart disease…" He drifted off. "I've been diagnosed with it."

Dawn stared in shock, completely frozen. Her breath was caught in her throat. "You…" Dawn gulped. "Since when?!"

A wave of sadness crossed his eyes, something very rare for Paul. "I've always known I've had an issue with my heart."

"There's a cure! There has to be one!" Dawn cried out, her eyes already watering. "I have no idea what this rhumaic heart disease -"

"Rheumatic."

"- rumedic heart disease is but there is a cure, right?" she asked, her eyes hopeful.

Paul thought for a moment, before responding. "Yes," he said hesitantly.

Dawn's eyes lightened up, engulfing Paul into a bear hug. "That's great! That's great! That's great! You'll be fine!"

"But," Paul continued, "it's dangerous."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, pulling away.

Paul grunted. "The cure is surgery." Dawn nodded, urging him to continue. "They replace or repair heart valves." He stopped, slightly biting his lip. "The survival rate is 59.3%."

Dawn's eyes widened. "So that means you have 41.7% -"

"40.7."

"40.7% chance of…" She trailed off.

"Dying," Paul finished.

Dawn gaped. "You can't be serious! The survival rate has to be higher than that!"

"Not in this case," Paul said bluntly.

Not being able to hold it in any longer, Dawn's emotions exploded. Wailing, she bawled on for minutes on Paul's lap. Paul gave a roll of his eyes in annoyance. "Crying isn't going to solve anything."

As she looked up, Paul was surprised by how sorrowful Dawn's facial expression was. It looked like all the happiness in her life had just been torn away from her. Around her eyes were tear stains, everywhere as she had been crying on his lap. "Is it a crime to care?"

Then, her eyes narrowed. "Why are you always so rude? You were just told you might die soon, and you're so casual about it?" Paul opened his mouth slightly to speak, but Dawn didn't let him. "What about all those people who love you? Have you thought how they'll feel?" she lectured, raising her voice.

"Keep it down, troublesome," he hissed. "This is a hospital. Some people are trying to rest."

"Don't avoid the question!" Dawn said furiously, but lowered her voice anyway.

Paul rolled his eyes. "Hn."

Dawn glared, though her vision was still slightly blurred. "Do you have any idea how frustrating you are? Is it that hard to give an answer to a simple question?"

"I felt it was rhetorical," Paul muttered in annoyance.

Dawn sighed, deciding Paul wasn't about to just give her an answer. "So, when is your

surgery?"

"Tomorrow, ten in the morning," he replied simply. He couldn't help feel the slightest bit guilty for acting so harsh with Dawn since she was one of the very few that truly cared about him. As annoying as she was, he always felt the need to protect her from any harm.

Dawn was about to reply when they were interrupted by the doctor. "Excuse me, but the visitor will have to leave now."

"_The visitor_ has a name," Dawn muttered.

"What was that?" the doctor asked.

Dawn smiled innocently. "Nothing!" She turned to Paul. "I guess I'll see you? I'll be here first thing in the morning."

Once again, the doctor interrupted. "Unfortunately, you won't be able to be here first thing in the morning. The earliest you'll see him is day after tomorrow."

As she was walking down the corridor of the hospital, a sinking feeling came upon Dawn, a dark cloud of worry looming upon her. She may never see Paul again.

* * *

The call resulted in voicemail, once again. After the beep, Dawn sighed. "Hey, Paul. It's me, Dawn. Um… Please call me as soon as possible? So… um… good luck."

She pressed a button on her phone, ending the voicemail. Biting her lip, she glanced at the clock. The surgery started in 38 minutes.

The day passed extremely slowly. Dawn had nothing to do. She was invited to a party, but didn't attend. She just wasn't in the mood. Constantly glancing at her clock, her hand inched towards her mobile. She was tempted to call, and ask if everything was alright.

After taking a few deep breaths, she threw herself onto her bed and smacked her face with a pillow. She stayed in that position for a few moments, having nothing better to do.

"What am I gonna do?"

* * *

It was the morning of the day after Paul's surgery and Dawn didn't waste even a second while getting out of bed. While she was getting dressed, she decided to call Paul's mobile phone. To her disappointment, it was switched off.

After tripping over while pulling on her jeans three times, she raced downstairs, grabbing a coat from the coat hanger.

"Dawn! Where are you going?" Johanna called out, looking away from her cooking and at her daughter with a concerned expression.

"To the hospital to see Paul!" she called back, pulling on her boots.

Johanna sighed. She, too, was worried about Paul but not nearly as much as Dawn. "Be careful!"

"No need to worry!" Dawn called back, racing out of the house.

"And that's when I worry most," her mother murmured, wishing Paul the best.

Not paying attention to the path she was walking on, she tripped over. A few strangers stared at her, but Dawn didn't notice. Quickly getting back onto her feet, she started running again.

After what seemed like forever, she reached the hospital. She stopped for a few moments, catching her breath. Then, she approached the reception counter. "A visitor pass to room 354, please."

The receptionist quickly typed in a code on her computer to check if that room was available to visitors. Once she saw the details of the patient held in that room, she raised a perfect eyebrow and lowered glasses. "I presume that Paul Shinji is your boyfriend?"

Dawn nodded. "Ye -" Then, she realised what she had just been asked. A blush rose on her face. "Wha? No! P-Paul and I? No, no! You must be mistaken!" She waved her arms around frantically, giving a nervous laugh.

The receptionist chuckled. "I'm just kidding, no need to get so flustered." Then, a sly smile crept onto her face. "But by the looks of it…" She trailed off making Dawn's blush deepen. "Paul Shinji is open to visitors," she finished cheerfully, smiling innocently.

A wave of relief crossed Dawn as she said those words. "So he's alive?"

"Nope!" the receptionist chimed. Dawn's face fell. Once again, the receptionist chuckled. "I'm just kidding," she said, handing her a pass. "Go take a look for yourself."

Grabbing the pass, she received some disapproving looks as she rushed through the corridors. As the door of the familiar room was spotted, a mixed feeling of excitement and anxiety grow inside of her. Opening the door, she noticed someone else there.

He turned around. "Hey, Dawn."

"Reggie, hey! How's Paul?" Dawn asked, panting.

Reggie smiled. "Why don't you ask him?" he said, moving out of the way of the hospital bed.

Dawn's face brightened as she saw Paul. However, his eyes were shut. "Paul! You're alive!" she exclaimed, about to throw her arms around him.

He opened one eye and stopped her. "I just had life-threatening surgery, troublesome. You don't harass someone who had just had surgery."

For some reason, those words made Dawn feel happier than she had been for the past week. She had her friend back, the cold, rude, but protective Paul. Dawn knew that deep down, Paul was actually just as soft as a teddy bear. Even though he thought hugs were a form of harassment.

Reggie chuckled. "Don't be so hard on her. She came all the way to see you."

Paul glared at him, before looking back at the grinning bluenette. "Why are you so happy?"

Dawn's grin only widened. "Because you're alive! And you're better now!" Then, she narrowed her eyes. "Is being happy so wrong?"

Paul rolled his eyes, muttering something Dawn couldn't hear.

"What was that?" Dawn asked.

"Hn."

"No, tell me!" Dawn persisted.

Paul sighed. "When you're too happy, something always goes wrong."

Dawn furrowed her eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, confused.

Before anyone else could say anything, someone came through the door. "Hey, man!" It was Drew, his closest friend. "Don't worry about the game on Friday, we won anyway," he reassured. Paul took his sports quite seriously.

The two friends continued discussing the game, and how they did without Paul. Dawn wasn't listening, however. She had heard Paul's line earlier somewhere, but she didn't get any closer to remembering where.

* * *

**Three years later… **

It was late, and most of the guests had already left. It was May and Drew's engagement. Drew was extremely rich, and could afford to have their engagement at a large wedding hall.

Dawn and Paul were two of the remaining guests and Dawn soon forcefully pulled Paul onto the large dance floor. A beautiful piano tune began playing, and the lights combined with the music gave the dance floor a magical atmosphere.

Paul placed his right hand on Dawn's waist, and the other holding her right hand. Dawn smiled, placing her left hand onto his shoulder.

They waltzed around the room, Dawn feeling happier than she had ever been. May and Drew smiled at the couple from the side, they were the ones on the dance floor. If anyone could make Paul dance, it was Dawn; his beloved girlfriend.

After they were done, they wished their best for Drew and May's marriage, said farewell and left the hall. They both decided to spend the night at Paul's one bedroom apartment.

* * *

Dawn stared, frightened. Her breathing quickened, trying to calm herself down. "Calm down, Dawn," she said to herself. "You've been with Paul for over two years. You'll be fine. He'll be happy. He'll be happy. He'll be happy, right?"

Dawn tried to think positive, but it was that exact word that was scaring her. "Positive," she said quietly, staring.

"But what if he doesn't want a child? He's in university, he'd want to focus on his studies instead." Dawn's head started filling up with doubts once more.

She bit on her trembling lip, not knowing what to do. Placing the stick on the counter, she headed for the only thing that could help her right now; ice-cream.

* * *

It was a Thursday night, the night their three year anniversary. The night Dawn decided to tell Paul about their child. After thinking about it, she didn't regret anything. A perfect family with her, Paul and their child.

This didn't make her any less nervous, though. She decided to tell him public, he would make less drama.

Would the child be a girl with purple hair and soft, cobalt eyes? Or would it be a boy with midnight blue hair and protective, onyx eyes? She asked herself all these questions.

Just thinking about Paul and her future family made her smile. Happiness perfectly described the emotion she would feel while thinking about it.

The doorbell rang, making Dawn nervous again. She ran downstairs to open the door. "You ready?" Paul asked, fixing his tie.

Dawn smiled, nodding. Taking a seat in his car, she stared at her lap. Silence quickly engulfed them. Though this was normal due to Paul's lack of will for speech, it was particularly unnerving today.

"So… three years, huh…" Dawn said awkwardly.

Paul raised an eyebrow, nodding slightly. He didn't understand why she was acting so strange.

She got into Paul's car and onto the passenger seat. The car ride was awkward, all Dawn did was fiddle with her dress' hem. Throughout the car ride, Paul felt suspicious as to why Dawn wasn't being annoying. Did she want to break up with him? It did make sense, she had been avoiding him for the past couple of days.

They dismounted the car and Dawn smiled when she saw where Paul brought her. It was her favourite Chinese restaurant, not too fancy but not shabby either.

"Reservation for Paul Shinji," Paul said to the waiter standing by the '_Wait here to be seated'_ sign.

The waiter nodded, glancing down at his clipboard. "Right this way, Mr. Shinji," he said, leading him to a table for two. It was nicely set, with a bouquet and napkins shaped like swans.

Dawn picked up a menu, eyes skimming across the different dishes. She felt Paul staring at her intensely, making her glance up at him. "Um…" Dawn stuttered, not knowing what to say. "What are you going to order?"

Paul grunted. "What's wrong with you? You haven't been annoying lately."

Dawn's mouth dropped open. "H-Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" she said in defense. She started fidgeting with her hands nervously, wondering if he knew. "I was just -"

"If you want to break up, just tell me now," he said bluntly. He was nonchalant on the outside, but on the inside he could feel his supposedly cold heart straining. Did heartbreak really affect the heart physically?

"No, no, no! Nothing like that. I-I'm…" She trailed off.

A wave of relief ran through Paul's body. "What is it, then?" he asked, much more calmly.

Dawn bit her lip. "I um… I need to use the restroom! That's it," she said, chickening out the last second.

She stood up abruptly, walking over to the nearest waiter and asked for directions. He pointed in the right direction, and she ran off before quickly thanking him.

Opening the tap, she quickly splashed water over her face in attempts of calming herself down. She dried her face with a paper towel, before looking at her reflection in the mirror.

Dawn cursed under her breath after noticing her smudged make-up. Cleansing her face, she cleared her face from cosmetics. "You'll be fine, Dawn. Think about your future with him. We can start a family, it'll be perfect," she reassured herself once again. This time, it worked. She felt strangely confident.

A happy smile upon her face, she walked back to Paul. "What took you so long?" he asked, not even looking at her.

Dawn sat down onto her seat. "Um… indigestion?" she said with a nervous laugh, making her receive a skeptical look from her partner.

"So… what are you going to order?" Dawn asked, changing the subject.

Paul put down the menu. "You took too long. I ordered for you."

Dawn gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks."

Silence dominated the two, though the rest of the restaurant was pretty noisy. The waiter came, breaking the silence, "Authentic Kung Pao Chicken for you, sir." Paul nodded slightly. "And Oriental Egg Fried Rice for you."

"Thank you," Dawn said, smiling politely.

Without any more talking, they started eating. After a few moments, Dawn grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth.

"Paul, I have to tell you something," Dawn said, nervous yet excited. Paul looked up, gesturing for her to continue.

She grinned, trying to control her joy. "Well, I'm -"

Suddenly, Paul felt a painful, straining feeling in the left side of his chest. Groaning, he clutched it and collapsed.

Dawn froze, eyes widening. "- pregnant," she finished in a hushed tone. She quickly stood up, rushing over to him. "Paul. Paul. What's wrong? Are you okay? Paul. Paul!" she said, panicking.

A crowd formed around them quickly. "I'll call an ambulance," an onlooker said calmly.

Dawn's eyes were watering. "Paul! Say something!" she cried, shaking him. The spectators has sympathetic looks on their faces as they watched her try and awaken her lover.

Paul was experiencing excruciating pain in his heart, and it was visible on his face. "Is anyone here a doctor?" Dawn asked, sobbing.

Unfortunately, no one called out after she said that. The room was in silence, apart from Dawn's sobbing. Soon, the ambulance arrived and a group of paramedics tended to Paul. After a minute, they quickly hurried and took him into the ambulance with Dawn seated by his side.

"Paul… I…" Dawn mumbled, not knowing what to say. She grabbed one of his hands. "I love you."

* * *

A young boy and girl were sat upon a beautiful, green meadow which looked over the vast, sapphire-coloured ocean. It was spring, the grass was swaying in the gentle breeze with a sky, dotted with fluffy, white clouds.

The girl sighed in content, resting her head against the boy's shoulder. "I'm so happy, Paulie."

Paul shook his head, gently pushing off her head. "Don't say that, and don't call me that."

"Eh? Why not?" she asked curiously, pushing away a lost strand of her midnight blue hair.

He sighed. "Because when you're too happy, something always goes wrong."

_I'm sorry, Paul. _

* * *

_**A/N: CookiesNCreamNess: **__Whooh! First collab one-shot! I admit this was fairly rushed, but I hope you liked it. Please leave a review! :D_

_Happy Ikarishipping Day!_

_And we do not own Pokemon!_

_**ShinyDragonair2: **__Happy Ikarishippping Day! Hope you liked the one-shot. I wrote all of it, CookiesNCreamNess only wrote like two lines. (: _

_**CookiesNCreamNess: **__Oi. I cancelled my plans for you! Be grateful, idiot. And I wrote most of it, jeez._

_**ShinyDragonair2: **__Suuuure. Remember to review! _

_**CookiesNCreamNess: **__Desperate much. -.-_

_**ShinyDragonair2: **__Oi, none of that! _

_**CookiesNCreamNess: **__Shut up already. (:_


End file.
